MOSCOW. Sept 10 (Interfax) - The Russian government has issued an executive order to hand over a part of the Black Sea's Sevastopol Bay in the southwest of Crimea to the Russian Defense Ministry for 20 years.
The relevant document, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, was published on the official Internet portal for legal information on Friday.
The document orders that "a part of the water area of Sevastopol Bay in the Black Sea be transferred to the Russian Defense Ministry for solitary use for 20 years in order to ensure the country's defense and security."
The territory transferred to the Defense Ministry is 0.5739 square kilometers in size, it said.
During use of this water area, the Defense Ministry must not contaminate or pollute it or take any measures that could harm the environment, according to the executive order.
Sevastopol hosts the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet - the Russian Navy's operational strategic force in the Black Sea.